An Afternoon Over Coffee
by MonumentForTheDead
Summary: Velma is alone in her flat; she tries not to think about the fight she had with Roxie just some moments ago. She just wants a moment of peace... But the insistent ringing of the doorbell is just too annoying to be ignored. She has no choice but to open the door.


**Hey folks! It's me again with another Chicago fic! This one kind of hit me randomly, and it's possible that the whole fic is kind of random, but I always wanted to write an interaction between Velma and Amos, no matter how awkward they'd be XD And because Amos is a precious being and he deserves a friend.**

 **Anyway, enough with my ramblings, let's get to the fic!**

 **I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

" _God damnit"_ Velma grumbled, annoyed by the sound of the doorbell ringing that she was so fiercely determined to ignore.

She tried to close her eyes again to get back to her nap, but the irritating sound just echoed again inside the apartment, and the curiosity to know who was so insistently ringing behind the door took the best of her. She sat up on the ratty and worn-out couch, yelling an impatient "I'm coming!" while she rubbed her eyes. She finally got up, closing the black robe around her figure and walking towards the door. The image she saw through the peephole was of a simple man, waiting patiently for someone to open the door. Velma opened it abruptly, startling the man who quickly took off his hat.

" _I don't wanna buy anything… And I already have a religion"_ Although that last statement wasn't true, Velma felt the need to clarify it before the man could speak anything.

" _I'm sorry, you've misunderstood… I'm actually looking for Roxie Hart… Does she live here?"_

" _Oh for Christ's sake"_ Velma grunted; the memories of some hours ago invading her mind like a hurricane. The last thing she wanted to think about now was Roxie.

" _What's it to ya?"_ She asked crudely, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. This wouldn't be the first time she'd have to deal with perverted guys trying to get a bit of her or Roxie. The difference would be that this was the first time one of them actually discovered their address.

" _My name is Amos Hart… I'm Roxie's hus… Ex-husband"_ The man said in such a humble and timid tone of voice Velma immediately assumed the guy was a doormat; which made her unconsciously act even more arrogantly than usual.

" _Oh really?"_ Velma asked sarcastically, not a bit convinced. Roxie had told her about her ex-husband, but still Velma had never seen him before. _"How did you get this address?"_

" _Mr. Flynn said he'd get me Roxie's new address… He got it from the prison's matron if I remember correctly."_

" _Damn you, Mama"_ Velma mumbled, but now she believed him. If Billy and Mama trusted this guy enough to give him their address, then there was nothing to worry about. _"Fine, look; Roxie's not here at the moment… She's out doing hell knows what and I have no idea when she's coming back"_

Amos' brows furrowed a bit in frustration, but he seemed resigned. He sighed before speaking again.

" _That's alright… I can come back another day. I just wanted to know how she was doing, you know? Although I doubt she'll wanna talk to me"_

Velma frowned, not knowing how to deal with the situation. The man looked so pitiful and pathetic she actually felt the desire to help him. She stood by the doorway uncomfortably until Amos started to turn around to leave. She was still pretty angered, and her ego was hurt from the argument of hours ago. Before she could notice, she was already calling for the unknown man.

" _Wait! Hm… Don't you wanna come in? It's kind of cold outside, you can wait for Roxie here"_

That was ridiculous; Velma was being utterly ridiculous, and careless for that matter. The man could easily do something to harm her, or even worse. Now he was smiling, entering her house like a very timid mouse, and all because she allowed it, all because she felt what…? Some absurd desire for company? She was already beginning to regret her decision, and was about to throw him out when he spoke.

" _You're Velma Kelly, right? Gee, Roxie talked so much about you when we were married… She was your number one fan, you know?"_

" _How funny… She didn't seem to be my fan when we were arrested"_ Velma replied bitterly, closing the door. Amos just shrugged at the response.

" _She collected all the magazines and articles about you... She used to keep them all in a scrapbook of some sorts. You were the only thing she spoke of when I came to visit her on the first weeks in prison… She was a funny girl, Roxie… I really liked her"_ Amos smiled, wistful, fidgeting with his hat.

Velma snickered; she was mildly aware of the admiration Roxie had for her on the first weeks they were arrested together, but she'd never imagine the blonde kept all the magazines and newspaper articles she had been featured in, to the point of crazy adoration like Amos was describing… The brunet shrugged the subject away from her mind, focusing on Amos who was now awkwardly standing in the middle of the living room.

" _Sit down"_ She offered, but that unwillingly came out like an order. She almost regretted her tone of voice when the poor man got startled, looking around before sitting on the couch. _"I'll make some coffee"_

" _I'd… Thanks"_ Amos replied; it was a statement, not an offer, and he didn't have much of a choice apart from accepting it.

Velma walked to the kitchen; never taking her eyes away from the strange visitor beyond the counter. She put some water to boil, trying to think about something to say, but the man spoke first.

" _You're working with her now, don't you?_

" _Yeah"_

" _It's a kind of a dance act, right? Haven't seen it yet, though… I… Hardly have any time for anything lately"_

" _Hmm"_

" _And you both really live together?_

" _Yeah"_

" _How long has it been?"_

" _Two months now… I think. No one's keeping track of it."_

A moment of silence ensued, in which Velma kept attending the water while Amos gazed down, looking defeated and melancholy. She thought about asking him what was wrong, but she couldn't decide between an awkward conversation and keeping an even more awkward silence.

She decided on the silence, at least until the coffee was ready; besides, the life of Roxie's ex-husband was none of her business, and she didn't really care anyway.

" _Sugar?"_ She asked, mixing the instant coffee in two mugs.

" _No, black please"_

" _Here"_ She approached silently, handing him the mug.

" _I'm a horrible person…"_

Velma stopped in her tracks when she was about to sit on the armchair opposite to the couch; Amos had just spurted that self-attack in such a blatant way that she caught herself speechless, wondering why someone would degrade oneself in such a way.

" _What?"_ Was all she could say before sitting – bewildered - on the armchair.

" _I kicked her out of our house when I discovered she wasn't pregnant"_ The man's voice was so full of sorrow and regret that Velma wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly started to cry. Seeing him act like someone who had just regretted a cold-blooded murder, made Roxie look like she was the most wonderful wife in the world, and that was pretty damn absurd.

" _She lied to me all along… There never was a baby! She used me… And yet, I shouldn't have thrown her out, she had nowhere to go…"_

Velma looked down at her cup for some long moments; the whole situation was so surreal she didn't even know how to react. Although she wanted to defend Roxie – after all, they were living together, and little by little building a relationship as well – she couldn't help but sympathize with Amos; considering she had been close to kick Roxie out of her house many times before.

" _The poor thing must have been so lost before she started to live with you…"_ He continued his rambling before Velma could say anything.

" _Well, not so lost if you think about it. She was doing pretty well hanging with…"_

The brunet flapper stopped mid-sentence; she was about to tell Amos that Roxie had been fucking the owner of a cheap hostel in order to live there for free, and she was managing her life pretty independently when Velma found her. But the woman decided to spare Amos of unnecessary details.

" _I mean… She was doing quite well when I found her…"_

Amos looked relieved; his gullible face lightened up, and he allowed a small smile to form on the corner of his lips.

" _How did you find her?"_ He asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

" _I found her auditioning at the Onyx… Looked like she had tried auditioning in plenty other places before, 'cause she looked really frustrated. I offered her the idea of doing a double act with me and she took it without thinking twice."_ Velma bragged, but she knew it wasn't true; the blonde's pride was damn hard to break and convincing Roxie to join her had taken a considerable effort. In all the possible senses as a matter of fact.

" _Well, I'm glad she's gotta a roof over her head and she's doing fine… It really relieves me, you know?"_

" _Yeah… Sure"_ Velma replied, offering a little polite smile.

Another moment of silence; uncomfortable gazes crossing, being broken by the sipping of coffee. Velma set her look out of the window and for a moment her mind wandered towards Roxie; although she was still mad at the blonde she actually didn't remember why they had fought. It was usually like this, anyway… They would be furious at each other, but never remember the reason of it. But Velma still wondered; where could Roxie be at that moment, what was she doing? Was she still irritated, walking through the streets stomping her feet like she always did when she was mad at something? Velma doubted it. The blonde's anger had a short span of duration, especially when Velma lightened her up…

" _Do you like living with her?_

The woman blinked, startled for a while, she was so immersed in her own thoughts she actually forgot the man was there in her apartment. She mused about Amos' question for a second; there wasn't an easy answer for that.

" _Sometimes I do… Sometimes it's unbearable. I don't really blame you for throwing her out… Sometimes I have the urge to do just that"_ Velma shrugged, nonchalantly, leaning on the armchair. She wasn't used to sit there; that was Roxie's place. The blonde liked to curl herself on the armchair while Velma sprawled herself on the three-placed couch. That was something they had decided without really saying anything, it rather came naturally.

" _Yeah, she can be a little difficult…"_ Amos laughed shyly, almost if he missed the bitching and back-stabbing of his ex-wife.

" _A_ little _difficult? Damn, you must be a really nice guy… I have to control myself not to punch her in the face every time we argue"_ Velma sneered, but laughed along anyway. Talking shit about Roxie was a sport she really enjoyed to engage on.

" _C'mon, she's not that bad…"_ Amos replied, and Velma suddenly caught herself admiring that fella. If only she could have a third of his's patience…

" _She fights me if I don't fold my clothes the way she thinks it's right. MY clothes! She doesn't have anything to do with the way I put away my stuff!"_ Velma blinked, bemused; she realized she was just venting about the way she folded her clothes to a man she had just met. But she didn't care; Amos seemed weirdly approachable.

" _She used to kick me when she slept… And she used to steal my blankets too"_ The man laughed, joining in and deciding to vent a little too.

" _Don't get me started on this! She's a nightmare to sleep with… Literally"_

" _Wait… Do you two sleep together?"_

Velma stopped in her tracks for the second time that day; it hadn't occurred to her it might have sounded weird the fact that she shared a bed with Roxie… After all it wasn't common for a girl to share the house and the bed with another girl.

She remembered the day Roxie had decided to move from the couch to her bed; it was cold, painfully so, and the heater on the living room had broken. The blonde had entered her bedroom in the middle of the night and without any warning, slipped under the covers. Shivering and with absurdly cold hands she had woken Velma, who was too tired to throw her out of the bedroom. Next thing she noticed was how nice Roxie's presence was next to her, and then her hands were already sliding across the blonde's thighs, and damn, how nice it felt when the girl's lips touched against her own… Half a second later the cold was the last thing they were worried about.

Before she could do something about it, sleeping beside Roxie was already a habit, along with the spooning and the constant lack of clothes, whether it was cold or not. Also, she had managed to control the girl's kicking quite quickly; by kicking her back just as fiercely.

" _Well… Yeah. I used to live in this apartment with my husband… So I only have one bed… We considered buying another one, but we decided it was an unnecessary expenditure"_ Velma awkwardly tried to explain, avoiding to look at Amos directly in the eye.

The man looked down to his knees; he wasn't sure of what he was feeling at that moment. He was glad Roxie was living in a nice apartment and finally living her dream of being a vaudeville star, but on the other hand he couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable to the thought of his ex-wife sharing a bed with another woman. Especially a woman Roxie used to idolize so much… The truth was that he really missed the blue-eyed girl he married, even if she didn't even remember him.

He looked around the small living room; there were several newspaper articles about their double act framed and hung on the walls, there were flowers in a vase, and that overall touch of femininity Roxie had never bothered to give their house apart from her own boudoir. She was contented in that place, Amos could see it, and the fact that he never managed to make his wife at least a bit comfortable in her own home made him miserable.

" _I wish I was better for her, you know?"_ He left the sentence escape while he sighed; it was a good thing he wasn't looking when Velma rolled her eyes.

" _C'mon! Don't be such a fucking pushover! You stood by her till the last minute! You single-handedly paid her the best lawyer in this damn town – yeah, she told me that! – And after all you have done for her; you still sigh and wish you could've been better? For Christ's sake, the only one who should wish to be better was her!"_ Velma almost yelled; her patience with that guy was reaching its limits. She almost wanted to slap his naïve, wide-eyed face, just to see if he would stand his ground or allow her to hit him again.

She was about to bet on the latter.

* * *

Roxie pranced across the streets in the other side of Chicago, tightening her coat around her as the cold wind struck her mercilessly. Her feet ached inside her heels and all she wanted was to go home, make her peace with Velma and maybe even forgive the brunet for whatever shit she had done earlier in that afternoon that she couldn't really remember now. It was always like this.

Velma would always find something wrong to say about the way she did anything. Whether it was a few missed steps on their choreography, or the time she took to pick a dress in the morning… It didn't matter. The bitch would always start something to disturb Roxie's peace; they would argue fiercely, and one of them would eventually get out of the apartment and spend some hours in the street until the animosities between them had cooled down. That was good in a way, it prevented them from killing each other, and most of the times, when they were both at home again, they couldn't even remember why they had fought. None of the two vaudevillians questioned this way of living; Roxie guessed this was bound to happen when you put together two strong personalities such as theirs.

In any way she didn't worry about those fights; she had already forgotten the reason she had called Velma a reckless slut and the other had thrown her out in retaliation between screams and an absurd amount of profanities. The blonde now saw herself in front of a newsstand and decided she would give her partner a little treat. She went home with a copy of the Photoplay magazine and a pack of Lucky Strikes – Velma's favorite. She didn't care whether the brunet would forgive her or not – she usually did but that wasn't the point – the point was the fact that whenever she spoiled Velma with little treats like these the woman would usually return the gesture with make-up sex. And the make-up sex was always really nifty.

The blonde vixen hurriedly called a cab; she wasn't in the mood of taking a crowded motor bus and she thought it was cheap anyway, not suitable for the famous Roxie Hart. She leisurely flipped the pages of the magazine as the taxi made its way to her street, but all she could think about was the way Velma would receive her when she'd arrive.

* * *

" _Well Mrs. Kelly, I can see I'm troubling here, I better be going now…"_

" _No! You'll stay right here until Roxie arrives!"_ Velma shouted when Amos got up from the couch; he looked deeply offended, but he sat back anyway.

" _I know when I'm not welcomed, Mrs. Kelly…"_

" _Oh shut up"_ Velma rolled her eyes leaning on the armchair _"You're gonna wait for her, and you're gonna show her that you're doing just fine on your own, that you couldn't have been better, and divorcing her was the best decision you made in your life"_

" _Why do you want me to do this?"_ Amos looked bewildered. Doing those things to Roxie would be a blatant lie.

" _Because I want her to believe you. Even if it's not true."_

" _But why!?"_

 _Because I wanna see her reaction when you rub in her face that you don't need her anymore –_ Velma thought, but didn't actually say anything. She knew very well that a part of her just wanted to annoy Roxie, but on the other hand, she pitied that ridiculous man, and he _did_ deserve better than his ex-wife. She shrugged, putting her mug on the coffee table; her drink still half full, but already completely cold.

" _Just do this, okay? I know what I'm doing"_ She stated plainly.

 _I happen to believe that you think you know a lot, but you actually don't know anything._ – It was Amos' turn to refrain from saying his thoughts out loud. He felt confused about Velma; why did she want so fiercely to convince Roxie he was fine on his own? Did she care about him enough to want him to actually be fine? He doubted it, but a part of him really wanted to believe so.

* * *

It took just a few seconds for them to turn their attention towards the sound coming from the apartment door; the sound of a key turning on the keyhole.

" _Vel, I'm back! I hope you're still not mad at me; I bought you a little something to cheer you… AMOS?"_

" _Roxie…"_ Amos said nervously, quickly getting up from the couch to face his ex-wife. His voice screamed 'submission' and Velma couldn't help but feel extremely annoyed by that.

" _What the hell are you doing here?"_ The blonde demanded, and now it was Velma's time to get up and stand beside Amos.

" _I…"_

" _He went by to see if you were doing okay… You know, after the divorce and such"_ Velma quickly interrupted what would obviously be a ridiculous attempt from Amos to sound confident.

" _Shut up, Velma, I wanna hear it from Amos"_

" _Don't talk with her like that!"_ Amos caught himself saying before he could think. Why it had been so natural to defend Velma? He was pretty sure the woman despised him and thought he was ridiculous anyway.

" _I talk with her the way I want, Amos. What's it to ya, anyway?"_

 _I just… Don't think you should be treating the person who took you off the street like that, that's all"_

" _What…? What the hell have you been telling him, Velma?"_ Roxie blinked, bemused, averting her eyes towards her housemate, who just shrugged in response.

" _Just the facts, kid. What else was I supposed to tell him?"_ The brunet shot back, leaving Roxie even madder.

" _Fine! Okay, Amos, you have nothing to do here. You've already seen me, I'm doing fine, now scram!"_

" _I…"_ Amos started, but was quickly interrupted by Velma's loud voice again.

" _He came to check on you, that's true, but he came here mainly because of me"_ Velma spurted without a second thought, earning a very puzzled look from both Amos and Roxie.

" _What a bunch of bullshit! Why would he come here to see ya?"_

" _He saw our act, and he loved the way I dance… So he came in the hopes of getting an autograph… Right, Amos?"_

The man took a few seconds to process Velma's last statement, but he quickly got the cue when the brunet shot him a meaningful look.

" _Yeah! Sure… I mean, no wonder you were such a fan of her, Rox… She's amazing!"_

" _Are you serious?!"_ Roxie almost screamed, making Velma smile inwardly. She had managed to offend the blonde in an extremely personal level.

" _He's very serious! Now, Amos, let's get your autograph… I hope you liked the coffee too!"_ The brunet vaudevillian said, pacing around the room searching for a pen and a paper.

" _Yes… You make very good coffee"_ Amos said nervously, getting accustomed with the pretense.

In a matter of seconds, Velma was back, leaning on the coffee table scribbling in an old photograph; Amos fidgeted with his hat again, avoiding Roxie's burning look.

" _Here; it's an old picture, but it's the intention that really matters, right?"_ Velma handed him the photograph, along with a beaming smile.

" _It's a picture of you and Charlie! It's not even about our act!"_ The blonde protested, her face flushed in a bright shade of pink.

" _He came to see ME, to ask for MY autograph, Roxie. Anyway, I don't think he would like to have any more pictures of you at his home"_

" _It's a perfect picture! Thanks, Velma!"_ Amos smiled, putting his hat back on before Roxie could jump at Velma's throat _"It was a pleasure seeing you, Rox; I'm glad you're doing…"_

But before he could finish his sentence, Roxie had already stormed out in the direction of the bedroom she shared with Velma, slamming the door behind her, leaving the two alone in silence.

" _You did great! For a moment I thought you'd flunk our lie, but that was the bee's knees!"_ The brunet laughed quietly not to raise any suspicion while she opened the front door to Amos.

" _I kind of feel bad for her now…"_ He stated nervously, a slight smile on the corner of his lips.

" _Don't be; she'll be fine… I'll cheer her up"_ Velma delivered a little saucy smile that Amos didn't really understand.

" _Do you want the picture back?"_

" _Nah, you can keep this piece of trash… I was planning of getting rid of it sooner or later"_

" _Well… Thanks I guess… For the picture, and the coffee. And to help me not to make a fool of myself in front of Roxie…"_

" _Anytime, kid. She had this coming… At least we had a laugh out of it"_

The man chuckled awkwardly, looking at Velma for the last time before muttering a 'goodbye' and then turning to leave.

" _Amos…?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _You can come back one of these days… For another cup of coffee"_

* * *

 **They became best friends after it, trust me. BAHAHAHAHA**

 **Aaaand I just couldn't help myself in implying RoxieXVelma in the fic, because, you know, it's mandatory. And it's just logical to think they'd ended up together… That much tension needs to get relieved in some way. *wink wink***

 **The ending is random, I know, I'm sorry for that! I hope it came out at least a bit funny XD**

 **Anyway, liked this fic? Please review and/or PM me, and I'll be tremendously happy!**

 **Thanks a lot for reading!**


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